Men's Basketball | 2/28/2026 11:12:13 PM

WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - In a tightly-contested game throughout, Washington & Jefferson College outscored Westminster College 11-3 over the final 3:40 to rally for a 68-61 victory Saturday night in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Game, played in front of nearly 1,200 fans at W&J's packed Salvitti Family Gymnasium.

The victory clinched the 11th PAC crown for the Presidents in program history and the first since 2022. W&J, which now has a 22-6 record this season, also earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The game was close from the opening tip, with neither team leading by more than five points in the first half. That came when W&J junior forward Nathan Plotner hit a jumper with 3:10 left in the half for a 30-25 Presidents' lead. Westminster closed the half with the final six points, four coming from graduate student guard DJ Harrell and a lay-in by senior guard Drew Weir with 33 seconds to play sent the Titans into the break with a 31-30 lead.

Westminster held the lead through the early stages of the second half, and a Harrell three at 13:44 gave them their largest lead of the game at 46-39. W&J answered with a pair of threes to get back within a point. The game, which featured seven ties and 11 lead changes, would be decided in the final four minutes.

The Presidents took the lead for good on two foul shots by sophomore guard Michael Plasko at the 3:40 mark and the free throw line proved to be the deciding factor down the stretch. After beginning the game 15-for-17 at the charity stripe, Westminster was 3-for-7 after W&J retook the lead. Meanwhile, the Presidents struggled from the free-throw line early, converting just 6-of-15 attempts in the game's first 36 minutes. But starting with Plasko hitting his pair, W&J made 90 percent (9-10) in the final four minutes, including their last six to seal the victory and the championship.

W&J, which shot 50 percent (24-48) from the floor in the win, had three players score in double figures. Plotner compiled 14 points, a team-best eight rebounds and four blocked shots and was recognized as the PAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player following the game.

Leading the Presidents in scoring was senior guard Matt Seidl, who finished with 16 points and team-highs with three assists and three steals, while junior guard Matthew Carte matched him with 16 points. Both were also named All-Tournament Team.

For Westminster, whose record fell to 19-9 with the defeat, Harrell dropped in a game-high 18 points, Weir tallied 16 and freshman guard Lucas Stanley recorded 11 points and a team-high-tying seven boards. Harrell and Stanley were named to the All-Tournament team in recognition for their play this week.

W&J will now wait to see their draw for the NCAA Tournament, which will be the Presidents' fourth NCAA appearance (1985, 1994, 2022). The entire bracket will be announced on the NCAA's selection show on its website Monday at 1 p.m.